History

This name was assigned to Oldsmobiles that were modified by the Hurst
Performance Research Corporation and resold through select Oldsmobile dealer
channels. They represent the most powerful production Cutlass available
for the model year. They are also the most sought after Cutlass model along
with the W-30, W-31 and W-32.

Beginning in 1973, Hurst/Olds concentrated more on luxury than performance.
The W-30 designation was used on the 1974 and 1975 H/Os to identify the
455-powered cars (but without the performance of the 70-72 cars), and it was used
again on the 79 H/O and 80 442 to designate the 350 Olds motor used in those
cars (all other A-body Olds cars those years got the 305 Chebby as the top
motor).

Hurst/Olds were made in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983 and 1984.

Authentication

This is sort of a prickly subject because the factory was concerned with
producing vehicles, not the desires of collectors thirty years later! So
you will find some (maybe a lot) of stock, factory, not mickeyed, un-numbers
matching vehicles.

It seems to be a matter of
record here on the list that Olds was kind of "loose" with the
correspondence between the series designation in the VIN and the style
number on the body plate, in the period of 1968-1969. As much as we would
like to think that Olds inscribed those numbers on the cars purely for the
sake of collectors verifying the correctness of these cars thirty years
after the fact, the real purpose of them was convenience and record-keeping
in the production process. So, if the Lansing plant was able to produce
442's efficiently, with the right parts, by simply installing all the parts
in the regular Cutlass bodyshell (which would differ from the 442 shell by
only two digits in that data plate), then there's no reason for them not to.
Of course, the VIN would have to reflect the models that the dealers
actually ordered, and since different prices were given for the different
models, a dealer who was expecting a VIN beginning with 344 would feel
cheated if he got a list of an incoming car beginning with VIN 336.

In theory, the VIN and Body (cowl) Tag should match, but it is really the VIN
that counts. For example, Lansing 442's (at least) came off the line with
regular Cutlass body plates, even though the VIN is correct for a 442. However,
someone could have changed the VIN - check for new rivets! One other way to
think about this: if someone did alter the car to look like a 442, why
would they add the VIN, but not the body plate, from a 442? A body plate
is a lot simpler to replace; would someone with an original 442 try to pass
it off as a regular Cutlass by installing a "336..." body plate?

Check the serial number on the engine, stamped on a pad below the
drivers side head at the front of the engine. This will probably
require a mirror and possibly some cleaning. This should be 8
characters long and match the last 8 characters of your VIN.

You can verify a factory trunk wing by unlocking the trunk. The trunk should
rise on its own, without assistance. The springs (rods) were
different for cars with and without the wings. Of course the trunk springs could
have been replaced with lesser ones.

All H/O's were built in Lansing Michigan.

Please refer to the
Engines section for authentication as well!Please refer to the
Blocks section for authentication as well!Please refer to the
Heads section for authentication as well!Please refer to the
Intake Manifolds section for authentication as well!Please refer to the
Exhaust Manifolds section for authentication as well!Please refer to the
Carburetors section for authentication as well!

Production

1968:

Authentication:

ALL '68 H/Os were built in Lansing.

The cowl plate build date code should be between mid April and mid June.

The paint code HAS to be Z-Z. ONLY H/Os have this paint code.
The interior trim code is 940 on ALL H/Os. ALL (and only)'68 H/O
cars will have these trim codes on the body plate.

No H/Os had vinyl roofs.

A/C cars use C heads and the 442 auto trans cam. Non A/C cars used D heads
and the 308 duration .474" lift cam. Some cars with A/C might have been
built with "D" heads. This has been seen on an original car.

Used the W-30 OAI package on the 455, utilizing red fenderwells and under
bumper scoops of the W-30, but it was not a W-30 or have that option code.

Distributor 1111468.

Used 14" SSII wheels with trim rings and silver centers.

Peruvian Silver in color, with black stripes, and white pinstripe.

A total of 515 were built. 459 Cutlass Holiday 2-Door Hardtops,
and 56 Cutlass Holiday 2-Door Post Coupes. Story Olds, the largest
Olds dealer in the
world, is responsible for the extra 15 68 H/O's being built.

The '68 H/O's were built out of 442s. The body tags of Lansing built
442s have Cutlass numbers on them.

'68 H/Os should have wood on the dashes and a 'H/O by Doc Watson' sort
of foil decal on the wood on the glove box. I think some of the cars
might not have gotten the wood though. A real wood sport wheel and
tic tac toc. It MUST have disk brakes in the front.

The Ram air scoops under the bumper should be the larger 13' scoop as opposed
to the 1969 under bumper 9" scoop, and it should have a chrome molding around
mouth of scoop.

Engine Specs:

If the car is

non A/C (W-45): 455

If the car is

A/C (W-46): 455

D-Heads

C-Heads

Regular cast iron intake

Regular cast iron intake

X,Y exhaust manifolds

X,Y exhaust manifolds

7028255 (W-31) carb

7028251 carb

The H/Os used a Toro 455 short block with the W-30's D heads (except for the
1968 A/C cars), a milder cam than the W-30, and regular cast iron 4V intake.
They were 455s, but not W-30s.

Remember though folks, the 455's were installed on the
factory assembly lines in the H/O's, contrary to what you may have
heard. According to Doc Watson, a story was made up about the 455's
being installed at Demmer. Nope. That was just to keep the Olds brass
happy with their ban. The cars were driven off the assembly line. An
old Olds engineer has pics of the plain white '69 non-emblemed 442's on
their way out the Lansing door. Makes sense, since the assembly manual
references W-46 codes in the engine section, and Federal law said the
engines had to have part of the VIN stamped into them when they left the
factory. So, unless that was a 455 block that "got away," it should
have had a 400. Anything was possible back then, however.

Transmissions:
TH-400 OW automatic.

Car #1 was equipped with a 4-speed. This car is in residence at
the R.E. Olds Museum in Lansing, MI.
To add MORE controversy, according to Demmer Corporation, the ORIGINAL 4
speed unit was towed (for some reason) to the meeting with Oldsmobile
brass, and was flipped over and trashed in a ditch before it got there.
So Demmer in reality owns the SECOND 4 speed car, in actuality.

1969:

All 69 H/O's (except the converts.) came with
344879Mxxxxxx VINs, but had the Cutlass body tags with 50-50 paint codes
and 930 trim codes. (H/O only).

Build date codes span 3D - 5E (4rd week of March to 5th week of May).

Cameo white, with Firefrost Gold stripes, pinstriped in black.

All cars, A/C or not, used D heads.

Used the W-30 OAI package on the 455, utilizing BLACK, NOT RED fenderwells
and under bumper scoops of the W-30, but it was not a W-30 or have that
option code. Again, they had black, not red, fenderwells.

They all have SH, SJ or SL rear end codes.

The 69 H/O trunk wing was fiberglass, not aluminum.

The owner might be able to produce copies of Demmer Engineering's
receipts that show the car's VIN as being received, and subsequently
after Hurst mods, being shipped.

All 69 H/Os were based on the 442 Holiday coupe (except for the two,
three or so
convertibles, obviously). VIN should start with 344879M... They were
specifically _not_ Cutlass S cars, in fact, they carried no insignia
other than the H/O emblems. Hood scoops are available repro, by the
way, as are the wing (which a real H/O would have, also).

Distinctive "Mailbox" hood scoops unique to that
car with a special air cleaner adapter which used the top plate and flapper
door from a Ford Cobra Jet. The 69 H/O had 15"
SSII wheels with chrome rims and either gold or argent (metalic silver/grey)
centers. Cameo white exterior paint with black bucket seat interior.
All 69 H/O's were 442's (code in VIN). Power brakes with front discs.

Linda Vaughn got one of the convertibles.

Just a word about the 1969 emblems being metal. There are some to
believe this to be the case. THEY WERE NOT! Metallized yes, all metal,
no. Copper plate with chrome plating over it. Just to set the record
straight. However, different years used different plating, apparently.
I've seen NOS ones that were damaged and were just flash chromed plastic
with no copper coat. I've YET to see an old H/O emblem pit like an old
442 emblem. I guess that's because plastic doesn't pit. NOS emblems are
available for the Hurst/Oldsmobiles from BAP 1-800-442-PART Oldsparts.com. Reproduction
emblems are for "clones".

The engine itself isn't much more than a 10.25 to 1 compression Toro 455
short block with slightly dished pistons, a milder cam than the W-30,
and a unique cast iron intake. It comes with a nodular iron crank,
although reportedly there has been "some" unconfirmed steels. The 4 bbl
carb was your run-of-the mill 7029251 carb, and it came with "D" heads.
The 1969 H/O also used a air cleaner adapter based on the Ford CobraJet
air cleaner top.

The cast iron intake # is 405233, and has
the PCV tube sticking out of it in the front. Only used on 69 H/O. The
valve covers are chromed stock units, with indentations for the
clearances, and it has either an 1111973 or 1111989 distributor #.

Remember though folks, the 455's were installed on the
factory assembly lines in the H/O's, contrary to what you may have
heard. According to Doc Watson, a story was made up about the 455's
being installed at Demmer. Nope. That was just to keep the Olds brass
happy with their ban. The cars were driven off the assembly line. An
old Olds engineer has pics of the plain white '69 non-emblemed 442's on
their way out the Lansing door. Makes sense, since the assembly manual
references W-46 codes in the engine section, and Federal law said the
engines had to have part of the VIN stamped into them when they left the
factory. So, unless that was a 455 block that "got away," it should
have had a 400. Anything was possible back then, however.

It seems the '69 H/O's car number is a little different as well.
These carbs were listed as Rochester QJ's, number 7029251.
It is date coded 0649. Assembly plant code RJ.
P>
HOWEVER, he said that some other H/O kinda guy said that all the cars
built in April and May had only the 29251 number, without the "70" in
front. Puzzling. I personally have never heard of this one. The cars
were built from the last week of March (03D) to the last week of May
(05E). So that would mean that 99% of all the 69 H/O's would have this
29251 number if this were true. Mine was built the last week of March,
and when I purchased mine, it had a 7029251 number on the carb. I
realize it could have been replaced, but all the H/O literature I can
find references the "70" type number. Even the GM parts books.
Hmmmm....

[ Thanks to Joe Padavano, Jeff Stanish,
for this information ]

1970:

Authentication:

All Rallyes were made in
Lansing, Michigan.

The paint code is two dashes that look like this: --.

A real Hurst/Olds never happened due to Oldsmobile trying to do it all
by themselves. Olds wanted a 70 H/O, and the Rallye 350 was the
modified end result of the original 70 H/O design.
What they did put together was the Rallye 350, which was
originally conceptualized as the 1970 Hurst/Olds. Something went wrong with
the planning and they decided to enter the car in the insurance beater
market. For whatever
reason, Hurst and Olds seemed to have a love/hate relationship through the
years, and the 70 H/O never was to be. Olds figured they could do this
themselves in-house (note: the spoiler/ram air, wild graphics), but also
try to rub snake-oil on the insurance carrier's backs at the same time
by offering a performance car, but with a "smaller" and still potent
engine. So they built the Rallye 350.

Dealers have commented that when the 70 Rallye came
in, nobody wanted it. In stark contrast to the 68 and 69 H/O's, it was
not a good seller. But people weren't going to pay the price tag when
someone could pay a few bucks more for the W-30. Some dealers
reverted to replacing the yellow bumpers with chrome ones, just to try
and move the cars off the lot. What we all wouldn't give to take a time
machine to 1970 to pick up a car that seemingly "nobody wanted"!!!!

The H/O's were supposed to be a specially prepared
"upgrade" for the 442. NOT designed to take the place of the W-30,
however.

Sebring Yellow exterior, with body colored bumpers. A total of 3547 were
built. The base price was $3253.
The Rallye holds a special place, for there weren't many of those
produced either. But if you find an original with chrome
bumpers, don't misjudge it as a fake right away.

Fitted with "W-31" 350's, but less than 12 were actually
built to original W-31 select-fit specifications. Force air fiberglass
hood, Rallye sport suspension, dual sport mirrors, special steering wheel.

[ Thanks to Bobby Etzel, Jim McKeague for this information ]

1972:

Authentication:

W-45 is for the H/O option which replaces the paint code on the body tag.

W-30 was optional for the 72 H/O. If yours has the other 455, there
should be a U in the VIN instead of the X.

All H/O paint striping resembles the Indy Pace car color scheme. All
were painted Cameo White.
The 72 H/O came with Rallye Suspension, dual exhausts, power front disc
brakes and a 3:23:1 axle ratio. All were equipped with Turbo-Hydro Matic,
shifted through a Hurst Dual Gate Unit. Hurst made a few modifications
to the standard production Oldsmobile 455, but the Oldsmobile W-30 high
performance V-8 could be specified by the buyer. The W-30 cars came with
a 3:42:1 rear axle. anti-spin differential, and the W-25 OAI fiberglass hood.

1972 was the first year to see the engine code as the fifth digit of
the VIN. Now, we all know about the famous "X" code, signifying a
W-30 that year. We also know that the 442, which had reverted to an
option package on the Cutlass line, was available on only four models:

Model

Body Style

VIN with W-30 engine

Cutlass HT

3287

3F87X2M......

Cutlass S Sport Coupe

3677

3G77X2M......

Cutlass S HT

3687

3G87X2M......

Cutlass Supreme Convert

4267

3J67X2M......

But wait. The 72 H/O was also available with the W-30 as an option.
The H/O was based on the Cutlass Supreme Convertible (4267 body style)
and Hardtop (4257). Assuming the W-30 was installed by Olds at the
factory prior to delivery of the cars to Hurst, the VIN for the
Hardtop H/Os should begin 3J57X2M......, making these the only "57"
style (notchback) cars with an "X" VIN.

While most will consider this a trivial matter, I think it's kind
of cool. I submit that 72 H/Os were the only Supreme HTs ("57"
body) to come from the factory with an O.A.I. hood as well.

[ Thanks to Joe Padavano for this information ]

1973:

Authentication:

Available in Ebony Black with gold trim or Cameo White with gold trim. This
was the first ever color chioce available on an H/O. Came with a broad center
hood stripe, full length body stripes, and H/O emblems in middle of rear
windows. 1,097 were produced only on the Cutlass S style.

Hurst/Olds package is option code W-45. This H/O was basicly a 442 with the exception
of the 1/4 panel windows which were "opera" style (kinda square-ish,
and very small) with a H/O decal in them. The basic 442 hood had a fiberglass
"bubble" of louvers riveted on the hood which put the louvers
aprox. 1" above the rest of the hood. The area around the tail lights
were "blacked out" and you got the rest of the usual H/O emblems
around the car. Chrome tailpipes were cool. Of special interest was the
new spring loaded hood emblem "H/O".

Engine Specs:
Standard was the 275hp 455. The W45 option added W-30 springs and
valves (L-75 engine) and a 3.08 rear. The W46 option added a hotter
cam (L77 engine), was not available with A/C, and added a 3.23 rear.

Transmissions:
TH-400. and an anti-spin rear.

Rear Axles:

Performance Data:
No data.

[ Thanks to Kurt Heinrich for this information]

1974:

Authentication:

Indy Decals were available to all H/O owners. Available in Cameo White
or Ebony Black. As I recall, aside from the engines, both versions
were quite similar if not identical.

Engine Specs:
W-30 option was the Rocket 455 (and TH-400 trans), while the W-25 option
was the Rocket 350 (and the TH-350 trans).
While the cars with the 455 carried the familiar "W-30" decals, those with
the 350 had a "W-25" decal.

[ Thanks to Tom Stoner for this information. ]

1975:

The 75 H/O was available in the Cutlass Supreme Coupe in either white or
black with gold accent striping. Interior colors are either white or black.

The Hurst Conversion Package Included the following as standard:

Hurst Hatch Roof, Smoked Glass Panels with Storage Cases

Hurst/Gold Body Accents

Padded Half Top (black or white)

Blocked Off Quarter Windows

Recessed Hurst/Olds Exterior Emblems (3 total)

Hurst/Olds Interior Emblems (2 total)

Custom Hood Ornament with "Oldsmobile" Script

W-25 or W-30 Fender Identification

The W-25 or W-30 option included the following as standard:

Cutlass Salon Grille

442 Louvered Hood

Sports Styled Outside Mirrors

Super Stock III Wheels in Hurst Gold (DuPont paint #43655L)

Swivel Bucket Seats with Reversible Cushions

Console with Hurst Dual Gate Shifter

Power Brakes with Front Discs

Hurst Conversion Package-optional items:

Hurst Splash Guards

Wheel Locks

Hurst/Olds Tachometer with Memory System

Hurst/Olds Identification License Plate

Motor Minder Economy Guage

Auto Alarm System

Hurst/Hatch T-Tops introduced and installed in all cars. This was the
last year for the 455. Exterior colors were Cameo White or Ebony Black.

A total of 2535 were built, as follows:

Engine

Units

455

1193

350

1324

Color

Units

White

1293

Black

1242

Engine Specs:
Rocket 455 or Rocket 350.
W-30 option was the Rocket 455 (and TH-400 trans), while the W-25 option
was the Rocket 350 (and the TH-350 trans).
While the cars with the 455 carried the familiar "W-30" decals, those with
the 350 had a "W-25" decal.

Transmissions:
TH-400 (M-40) with the 455 engine (drivetrain with the W-30 option). TH-350
(M-38) with the 350 engine (drivetrain with the W-25 option).

Rear Axles:
2.56:1 was standard. Optional were the 2.73:1, or 3.08:1 differentials.
Anti-spin was optional in all ratios, and all ratios were available with the
W-25 and W-30 option.

Performance Data:
No data.

[ Thanks to Jason Labay for this information ]

1976:

There wasn't a Hurst/Olds per say, with higher output engine or special
appearance package, but a 1976 Cutlass Supreme, with Hurst conversion
T-Tops. With this conversion came "Hurst Olds" side emblems.

1977:

Authentication:

Never became a production reality but 1 prototype was built.

It was black, based on a Cutlass S model, with a modified
grille and special roof treatment (rear quarter windows
filled). It seems like it had a gold stripe down
the side, too.

Olds was on a roll back then, and couldn't spare enough Cutlass bodies to
give to Hurst for the conversion. They were selling all they could build, so
it didn't make sense to spend money on the H/O. Too bad, it was a striking
car.

Engine Specs:
403 with a marine cam.

Transmissions:

Rear Axles:

Performance Data:
No data.

[ Thanks to Jon Wessel, Marvin Friesen for this information ]

1979:

Authentication:

All were built in Lansing.

The only Cutlass-bodied cars built with the Olds 350 in 1979.

Actually built at an Oldsmobile plant instead of Hurst Performance.
These are the only year of Hurst/Olds
production which were produced completely in an Oldsmobile plant and not
trimmed out in a Hurst or Cars and Concepts facility. Last year for
Hurst Dual/Gate Shifter.

A total of 2499 were built. 1165 in Cameo White, 1334 in Ebony Black,
and 537 came w/Hurst Hatch T-Tops. Hurst/Olds in '79 were the only
Cutlass with W-30 stickers in '79.
The Hurst wheels were actually an Oldsmobile factory aluminum wheel
that was available on the 1978 Cutlass'. The Hursts wheels were painted
gold, and were not on any other Cutlass in '79 but the H/O.

To order a '79 H/O, you had to start by ordering a Cutlass Calais.
Therefore all of the standard Calais features for that year, such as
reclining bucket seats and Rallye Pack instrumentation, were standard on
the H/O. In addition to the 350/350 engine and transmission combination,
the Hurst/Olds package included aluminum wheels and the two-tone sport
paint which were Cutlass options. Only on the Hurst/Olds however, were the
wheels painted gold and was the second paint color gold. No other
Oldsmobile in 1979 used that gold paint, but I believe that it was
available on some Pontiacs.

Also, only on the H/O were the hood ornament
and rocket emblem on the header panel in black. H/O emblems were put only
on H/O cars. On a "normal" Calais,
these were both red. Finally, the H/O package included the Dual Gate
shifter, which was installed in the standard Calais console. I believe
that all of these cars had a 2.73 to 1 final drive ratio, regardless of if
the axle was limited slip or not.

Sport steering wheel, bucket seats, 442 suspension, and guage package
was standard on H/O because it is a Cutlass Calais which had these
standard.

Engine Specs:
Rocket 350. All had the Olds 350 V-8 and TH-350
transmission which were standard in the Delta 88 that year. These were the
only Cutlass-bodied cars built with the Olds 350 in 1979. H/O did not
come with true dual exhaust.

Transmissions:
TH-350 with Hurst Shifter. The Hurst shifter and console is exclusive only
to the '79 Hurst/Olds and no other Cutlass in '79.

I strongly doubt that a 4 speed manual transmission option was ever
considered for the 1979 Hurst/Olds. As most of you know, 1979 was
the only year in which H/Os came off the end of the Lansing assembly
line as completed cars, and didn't get sent off for additional work at
Hurst Performance Products or Cars and Concepts. For this reason,
there would be no possible loophole around the then current EPA
regulations.

In part and summary, those regulations stated that as long as an
engine/transmission combination had been certified in any production
model for that year, the same combination could be used in any other
model that the factory desired, so long as less than 2,500 were
produced. If 2,500 or more were built, the engine/transmission
combination had to be certified specifically in that particular
model. Certification was (and I assume, still is) an expensive and
time consuming process. The "R" code Olds 350 engine in combination
with the TH-350 transmission had already been certified in the 88
models for 1979, so legally that same combination could also be used
in the Cutlass body without specific certification as long as less
than 2,500 were built. That's why 2,499 1979 Hurst/Oldsmobiles were
produced.

Now, there were no 350/4 speed combinations already certified by
Oldsmobile in 1979, so certification would have been necessary. Even
if management could have been convinced that sales volume would have
justified the cost of certification (extremely doubtful that it could
have, in anyone's wildest dreams), the necessary time probably wasn't
available for this mid-year model to get through the process. After
all, by mid model year I'm sure that they're already feverisly at
work to get the next year's models through the process.

It is
interesting to note however that another combination WAS available to
them but went unused. Legally, they could have also produced another
2,499 "super" H/Os with the 403 engine and TH-350, since that
combination had also been certified in both the 88 and 98 models.
Although I've heard that at least a couple such engineering
prototypes were built, apparently the "bean counters" didn't feel
that there was enough market share left to justify production.
Perhaps they were right, since the 1980 442 option which was
identical to the 1979 H/O except for the shifter, sold less than 1000
units.

Rear Axles:

Performance Data:
No data.

[ Thanks to Tom Stoner, Paul Hartlieb for this information ]

1982:

Authentication:

Never became a production reality but 1 prototype was built. It used a
blue and silver exterior color combination.

Engine Specs:
Unknown.

Transmissions:

Rear Axles:

Performance Data:
No data.

1983:

Authentication:

The VIN "9" engine code shows it is a 442.

'83 H/O carb is 17083553.

Look for option code W-40 (H/O) and W-42 (442) on the build sheet
or the service sticker (in trunk lid).

Sometimes (and I say this because they DIDN'T always put them on) there is a
little cowl tag on or under the hood. This will also have the W-42 option
listed on it. The Arlington assembly plant said that if
they had them when the car was built, they put them on, but if not, oh well.
That's because they were wanting to go strictly with the trunk
lid mounted service sticker.

It better have the dual snorkel intake with a chrome lid.

Also, check the transmission code "OZ"on the passenger side of the tranny.

This item is indigenous ONLY to the 1983 to 1987 Hurst/442. Look for a
"kickdown" switch above the gas pedal. This looks like the old Turbo
400 passing gear detent switch with a little slide switch activated at
full throttle. This is actually the full throttle A/C compressor clutch
cutout switch. It cuts out the A/C clutch when it's mashed to the
floor.

Also, check to see if the tire pressure sticker is still on the
driver's door, it will list 215/65/15 as the tire size, again, ONLY on
the Hurst/442 in those years.

[ Thanks to Bob Barry for this information ]

1984:

Authentication:

The VIN "9" engine code shows it is a 442.

Look for option code W-40 (H/O) and W-42 (442) on the build sheet or
the service sticker (in trunk lid).

Sometimes (and I say this because they DIDN'T always put them on) there is a
little cowl tag on under the hood. This will also have the W-42 option
listed on it. The Arlington assembly plant said that if
they had them when the car was built, they put them on, but if not, oh well.
That's because they were wanting to go strictly with the trunk
lid mounted service sticker.

It better have the dual snorkel intake with a chrome lid.

Also, check the transmission code "OZ"on the passenger side of the tranny.

This item is indigenous ONLY to the 1983 to 1987 Hurst/442. Look for a
"kickdown" switch above the gas pedal. This looks like the old Turbo
400 passing gear detent switch with a little slide switch activated at
full throttle. This is actually the full throttle A/C compressor clutch
cutout switch. It cuts out the A/C clutch when it's mashed to the
floor.

Also, check to see if the tire pressure sticker is still on the
driver's door, it will list 215/65/15 as the tire size, again, ONLY on
the Hurst/442 in those years.

From the '84 H/O brochure, here's the parts numbers for the engine:

Long Duration cam shaft

22519934

High Rate Valve springs

22510372

Harmonic Balancer

417142

Rochester 4MV carb

17083553

Dual Snorkel Air Cleaner Assy.

25042690

Intermediate Exhaust Pipe

22516113

Muffler and Tailpipe Right

22526204

Muffler and Tailpipe Left

22526205

The total number built is unknown. 3500 or less than 3000 were built.
Color available was black
with silver. Last Hurst/Olds to be produced. Lightening rod shifters.

Engine Specs:
Rocket 307.

Transmissions:

Rear Axles:

Performance Data:
No data.

[ Thanks to Mikefor this information ]

1988:

Authentication:

The 1988 H/O which began as a concept car by Jack "Doc" Watson to the Olds
factory ended up as being a "kit" car. Individuals would purchase a "kit",
find a 1988 rear wheel drive Cutlass Classic car, and when you combined the
two, you would have a 1988 Hurst/Olds. If the kit were put on a 1981 thru
1987 RWD Cutlass, then it would be correctly called a Hurst Aero Commerative
car and NOT a 1988 H/O. With the kit was a one year membership to the
Hurst Olds Club.

Originally the kit was available in the Spring of 1988 from a company called
Action Products located in Tempe AZ. This company had plastics' capability
through its line of mini cars, and the owner was a friend of Joe Hrudka who
owned Mr. Gasket and Hurst at that time. After an initial run, Doc Watson
took the molds to produce the kit, and moved everything to Michigan. It was
then marketed under another company called Hurst Special Vehicles which Doc
owned, and had hoped to market at that time all the items that make all years
of Hurst Olds special. Best laid plans etc. The 2 kits used different
plastic (revel vs ABS), and both are difficult to fit for the amateur. Once
your done, and take your time, you will be rewarded with one sharp and
different car.

Doc personally made four to five cars for different people, and each is
different.

1.

For himself - A white car he has shown around since 1988 at various meets,
and at Phoenix at the introduction of the 1988 H/O.

2.

For Joe Hrudka - A white car which would be analogous to the first 68 that
Doc had presented to George Hurst. It supposed first had a DRC motor which
was changed to a 455. It is seen in the original promo brochure with Doc and
Linda in the photos. The scene was shot a Hrudka's home in AZ.

3.

For Judy Badgley - A black car. Judy was Director of the HOCA at the time.
They still have the car. Judy's car is stock except for the kit.

4.

For Laurence Simpson - A white car. A New York City dentist. I still
have the car and it has a 307 done over to 83-84 H/O specs along with other
special items (i.e. Lockamatic shifter) installed by Doc.

He told me he did one for someone associated with the University of
Michigan, but I never got the full details. As the HOCA 88 Advisor,
I was able to document about 10 other cars done by
people who bought the kit and installed it themselves.

[ Thanks to Gil Russell for this information ]

License Plate Holders

[ Thanks to for this information ]

Lightning Rod Shifters

These are a type of shifter made by Hurst. They're standard in the '83-'84
Hurst/Olds.

Basically, they're kind of a "His-n-hers" shifter. There are
three shift rods in the center console. The left one goes P R N OD D and
works like a normal gearshift with the exception of no L(ow). If you shift
it all the way down into D, then the car is limited to third gear or lower.

When in D, you can shift the middle lever toward you to now limit the
car to 2nd gear. When it's down you can pull the right lever to limit to
first. When accelerating you can start with all the shifters toward you,
then throw the right, center, then left one forward while accelerating.
Kind of fun, but in reality they're not much more than a gimmick, since
the tranny is set to shift at about 5200rpm on WOT.

The Lightning Rods shifters might still be available from Hurst, or they
might have been discontinued by the Mr. Gasket Company. Part number
385-0006 is the floor mounted model. And #385-0009 is designed to
fit C*maro, F*rebird factory consoles. I would imagine one or the
other of these could be adapted for your application.

Mirrors

The 1969 Hurst/Olds Mirrors and gaskets are now available. $395 a pair, limited supply. Call 1-800-442-PART or see Oldsparts.com to order.

[ Thanks to Steve Kenny
for this information ]

1969 Ram Air Assembly

The entire ram air assembly on the 1969 H/O was basically a Ford CobraJet
part, since Olds didn't have time to tool up their own.

[ Thanks to Jon Wessel for this information ]

Wheels

The 442 and Hurst wheels are different. The 442 wheels are painted
gold on the inside around the lug-nuts. The Hurst wheels are painted
Argent, which looks darn close to chrome to me. Other than the
paint, they're the same. GM has discontinued the H/O wheels.
I believe they should have "15x7JJ" and "890" stamped
inside the rim. Option Code PH1.